A 2-0 lead for the Belleville Senators wasn’t enough on Saturday night, as the Utica Comets stormed back with three consecutive goals to down Belleville 3-2.
The point earned in the standings still pushes the Senators a little closer to the playoff picture; they are now six points back of fifth-place Syracuse with five games in hand.
Donovan Sebrango put the Senators ahead just under three minutes into the game when he rifled home a wrist shot from the left-wing circle. Barely a minute later, Jeremy Davies centred a puck from behind the net, finding Keean Washkurak at the net front who one-timed the puck in for his fifth of the season and a 2-0 Belleville lead. Utica tried to spark some energy with a fight a couple of minutes later, but Jorian Donovan more than held his own in a brief tilt with Nathan Légaré of the Comets.
Utica’s first power play paid dividends, though, when Nolan Foote shot the puck from the right circle with a big crowd in from of Merilainen, beating him at the 8:47 mark to cut his team’s deficit in half.
Foote would then tie the game in the opening minutes of the 2nd period on a two-on-one rush, letting fly a low wrist shot from the left circle that ricocheted off Merilainen and into the cage to make it 2-2.
A scoreless third period gave way to a quick overtime. Seamus Casey forced a turnover inside the Belleville line, took the puck to the front of the net, and slid a backhand shot into the Belleville net to give the Comets the victory just nine seconds into the frame.
